Many problems attend the use of decorative hair barrettes designed for use with babies. These problems stem either directly or indirectly to the fastener designs. Baby hair is frequently very short and finely textured. Available fasteners simply are not capable of being fastened to such baby hair in a manner preventing their loss. Prior art solutions have been directed to the development of inexpensive fasteners, the cost of which is not prohibitive of replacement. Efforts were also made to develop an inexpensive fastener which will remain secured to the baby's hair regardless of its length or texture. That is, designs so inexpensive the loss of the device is tolerable. Efforts to develop inexpensive hair fasteners have included the use of Velcro fasteners. The problem with Velcro fasteners is that, while, the synthetic material adheres when pressed together, the hair between them is not held securely and the barrette slips off.
Another inexpensive fastener is a hair barrette which includes a pressure-molded polyethylene strip having a centrally located natural hinge for folding the strip back over itself to form first and second portions. One end of the strip has a hole formed therein, and the opposite end has a compressible member formed thereon for insertion into the hole and expansion to lock the two portions together at the ends. A surface of the first portion includes a plurality of laterally spaced ribs, and a surface of the second portion includes a plurality of ribs which are in a nonaligned relation with the opposing ribs on the first strip. Thus, when brought together with hair inbetween and locked by the locking means, the hair is positively engaged by the cooperating ribs and clamped therebetween. Those persons skilled in the art desiring more information about the hair barrette described immediately above are referred to U.S. Pat. No. 2,818,871 issued Jan. 7, 1958 to John R. Beaudry.
A disadvantage of the hair barrette stems from the locking mechanism. As the locking mechanism is located at the ends of the two portions, the ribs of the two portions are not necessarily locked together continuously along their lengths. The result is slippage of the hair barrette and possible loss.